252 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[Juke, 
house plants in this respect amounts to noth¬ 
ing, and need cause no concern. Invalids 
are often very sensitive to odors, even those 
that are not noticed, or are acceptable when 
one is in health, may be very unpleasant 
in sickness Flowers which have strong per¬ 
fumes and other marked odors should not 
be present in the room of a very sick person. 
What is Cardoon ? 
A friend remarks : “1 always see Cardoon 
in the seed catalogues, but never anywhere 
else. What is it ?” It would not be satisfac¬ 
tory to reply, that Cardoon is own brother to 
TWO BUNCHES OF CARDOON'. 
the Globe Artichoke, as that is nearly as rare 
in this country. Both are species of Cynara 
(the ancient Greek name), and are closely re¬ 
lated to the Thistles. In appearance they 
are much like thistles with enormous flower 
heads. The Cardoon ( C. Carduneulus), was 
introduced into Europe from North Africa, 
over two centuries ago, and though very 
popular on the continent, has been little cul¬ 
tivated in England or here. It is biennial, 
producing only a tuft of leaves the first year, 
and throwing up a stalk, and blooming the 
next. In good soil, the leaves will grow 3 
feet or more high, with large, very thick, 
fleshy leaf-stalks. Some varieties are exceed¬ 
ingly prickly, while others are nearly spine¬ 
less. The seeds are usually sown in the bot¬ 
tom of a well-manured trench, about a foot 
in depth ; they are thinned to 18 inches, and 
when well grown the leaves are brought to¬ 
gether and bound closely with a hay band to 
exclude the light and blanch the stalks, which 
requires about thr(?e weeks. The leaf stalks 
become very tender and crisp, and need cai'e- 
ful handling, as they break readily. The ap¬ 
pearance of the blanched Cardoon is shown 
in the engraving. The stalks are first boiled 
until tender, when the outer skin may be 
readily removed. They are then cut up and 
dressed in a variety of styles, with brown or 
white sauce and often with cheese. Those 
who become accustomed to Cardoon abroad 
are very fond of it. Those who eat the tubers 
of Jerusalem Artichoke, when cooked, will 
like Cardoon, the flavor being somewhat 
similar, though less marked. The leaves of 
the related Globe Artichoke are sometimes 
blanched, when they are called Chard, and 
used in the same manner as Cardoon. 
The Uses of Insect Powder. 
Last month, the plants affording the Insect 
Powder were described, with notes on their 
cultivation. When the “Persian Insect 
Powder ” was first introduced as an article of 
commerce, its application was mainly re¬ 
stricted to the destruction of cockroaches in 
houses. The powdered flowers, as imported, 
were blown into the various cracks and crev¬ 
ices, by means of small bellows, and was 
found very effective, if not in destroying the 
cockroaches, at least in driving them from 
their retreats, and in so stupefying them that 
they could be swept up and burned. Through 
the experiments, mainly of Prof. Riley, this 
powder has been found to have a much wider 
application as an insecticide than in the 
original method of blowing it in the form of 
dust, which is only practicable in the house. 
In the circular issued by the Department of 
Agriculture, these methods are described in 
full. Besides its use in the powdered form 
already mentioned, are its application as a 
fume, as an alcoholic extract; the stirring 
the powder in water, and as a tea, or decoc¬ 
tion. Some two years ago our correspondent 
Jean Sisley, of Lyons, France, sent us some 
pastilles of this insect powder, which he 
stated had been very efficacious in ridding 
rooms of mosquitoes, flies, and similar in¬ 
sects. One of these pastilles burned in a 
closed bedroom, early in the evening, was 
said to destroy all the insects, while the odor 
would not be at all offensive. These came 
too late to be tested that season, and were 
afterwards overlooked. The circular of the 
Department mentions the use of the fumes 
of the burning powder for freeing rooms from 
insects, and 'also to fumigate furs and other 
materials likely to be infested. For applica¬ 
tion of the powder to insects upon plants in 
the open air, some of the liquid forms may 
be adopted. A tincture of the powdered flow¬ 
ers may be made, by treating with alcohol, 
or by employing an apothecary to make it by 
the method known as “ percolation,” an alco¬ 
holic extract or tincture, containing the pro¬ 
perties of the powder in a concentrated form, 
may be produced. From half an ounce to an 
ounce and a half of such alcoholic extinct 
mixed in two gallons of water, and applied 
by a garden syringe or pump, has been 
found, according to the circular of the De¬ 
partment, very destructive to the cotton- 
worm, and will no doubt be equally so on all 
soft-bodied insects. If the powder is simply 
stirred in water, in the proportion of half an 
ounce to two gallons of water, and spr nkled 
upon the plants, the application will kill all 
soft caterpillars. Another method is, to make 
a tea, by pouring boiling water upon the 
flowers, which for this use need not be 
powdered. This decoction sprinkled upon 
plants infested by insects, has been found very 
useful. Where the Pvrethrum plant is cul¬ 
tivated, probably this last named method, 
which will allow the flowers to be used with¬ 
out first powdering, will be found one of 
the simplest and best methods of using it. 
35est Soil tor Quinces. — The 
writer recently came into the tempox’ary pos¬ 
session of an old fruit yard and garden, that 
had been somewhat famous in its day as a 
quince orchard. Though neglected for years, 
and most of the other fruits, large and small, 
had died out, the quinces held their own. 
upon the principle of the “survival of the 
fittest.” There was quite a variety of soil on 
the half acre or more devoted to fruits. A 
venerable old Virgalieu pear tree stood upon 
the highest and dryest part, in good condi¬ 
tion, apparently as tough as a white oak. 
Here the quinces had their poorest develop¬ 
ment. A brook flowed through the premises, 
with a narrow border of intervale land. The 
vigor and thrift of the quinces improved as 
they approached this intervale, and were at 
their best immediately upon the bank, where 
their feet must have stood in the water for a 
large part of the year. Through neglect, the 
borers had had full sway, but as the old 
stumps died out, new sprouts took their 
places. There were forty or more quince 
bushes on this little patch of land, though 
they had stood in grass and been neglected 
for a dozen years. The lesson indicated is 
to select, if possible, intervale land in plant¬ 
ing the quince. C. 
Hew Zealand Spinach. 
When summer weather fairly sets in, it is 
difficult to get a crop of spinach. Young 
plants grow very slowly, and soon form 
flower stalks, while the leaves become tough 
and useless. Among a number of substitutes 
for spinach to be used in hot weather, one 
of the best we have tried is the so-called 
“New Zealand Spinach.” We say “so-called,” 
as it is not at all related to real spinach; that 
being a near relative of the Beet. This be¬ 
longs to the same family with the “ I<?e 
Plant ” ( Ficoidece ) often cultivated as a curi¬ 
osity. Its botanical name is Tetragonia ex- 
pansa ( tetra , four, and gonia, angle, as it has 
a 4-angled seed pod). It is a native not only 
of New Zealand, but of South America and 
even of Japan. Its seeds were first taken to 
England in 1772, by Sir Joseph Banks, who 
was with Capt. Cook in his celebrated voyage 
around the world. The plant is an annual 
with long-spreading branches, and thick, 
fleshy leaves, an inch or two long, of a tri¬ 
angular egg-shape. The plant later in the 
season is much more spreading than that 
shown in the engraving, the branches ex¬ 
tend in every direction, hence the plants 
need abundant room. The seeds are slow in 
germinating, and it is well to soak them be¬ 
fore sowing; place half a dozen or so in well 
manured hills, made 3 feet apart. When an 
inch or two high, thin to two or three plants 
in a hill. They are very small at first, and a 
careless hand may mistake them for weeds. 
When once started they grow most rapidly, 
